A Postoperative Complication in a One-Year-Old Female Infant Undergoing the Mitchell-Banks Procedure for Inguinal Hernia: A Risk of Fallopian Tubal Occlusion Due to Herniorrhaphy

Abstract

A 1-year-old female was treated for a right inguinal hernia by the Mitchell-Banks procedure. On the 8th postoperative day, she appeared with a 20-mm-diameter mass indicated by ultrasound in the right inguinal region. Because recurrence of a right inguinal hernia with incarceration of the right fallopian tube could not be ruled out, reoperation was performed. The exploratory inguinal incision revealed a hematoma of the round ligament of the uterus. A laparoscopic examination revealed that the bilateral ovaries were intact and the right fallopian tube was caught in the internal inguinal ring. After peeling the tube off from the right internal inguinal ring, the remaining patent processus vaginalis was closed laparoscopically with a purse-string suture. Even the Mitchell-Banks procedure, where herniorrhaphy is performed without opening the inguinal canal, is associated with a risk of fallopian tubal occlusion. Pediatric surgeons need to keep in mind that risk when performing herniorrhaphy in female infants.